Men’s Golf Finishes Tied for 12th at Big Ten Championships

The Oregon men’s golf team entered the Big Ten Championships looking to extend one of the program’s most consistent postseason runs, but the Ducks were unable to generate enough momentum over three rounds at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in Portland. Oregon finished tied for 12th in the 18-team field at 22-over par after rounds of 290, 286 and 286. The Ducks improved after a difficult opening round, but the leaderboard moved away from them Saturday as UCLA took command of the tournament and eventually claimed the conference title at 8-under par.

Aiden Krafft delivered Oregon’s best individual finish, closing with a 1-under 69 on Sunday to tie for 23rd. The senior extended his streak of top-30 finishes to seven, including all six events this spring. Round One: Ducks Battle Back After Rough Front Nine Oregon opened the tournament Friday with a 10-over 290, leaving the Ducks ninth after the first round.

The course played tougher than expected after holes 4 and 14 were changed from par 5s to par 4s before play began, and Oregon struggled to find early traction. The Ducks made the turn at 10 over after giving away nine strokes from holes 4 through 7. Hole 7 proved especially damaging, with all four counting scorers making bogey.

Oregon steadied itself on the back nine, playing the final nine holes at even par and nearly doubling its birdie total from the front. That late response kept the Ducks within reach of the middle of the field, though they still sat well behind first-round leader Illinois, which opened at 1-under. Casper Nerpin and Sebastian Desoisa led Oregon on Friday with matching 2-over 72s, putting both in a tie for 26th.